COMBINED HUMANITIES 2260
O Level Social Studies Tuition in Singapore
Social Studies is the paper every Combined Humanities student sits, and it counts for half the grade. Our Social Studies tuition trains the source-based and structured-response skills the paper rewards, in small classes taught alongside Elective Geography.
Sec 4 classes at Novena and Kembangan, with online seats.
Why Social Studies Pulls Combined Humanities Grades Down
Social Studies and the elective are marked as one Combined Humanities grade. A student can be on track for an A1 in Elective Geography and still end up with a B because Social Studies is holding the grade back. It is the most common reason parents contact us about O Level Social Studies tuition.
The difficulty is rarely content. The Social Studies paper is marked on a Levels of Response Marking Scheme (LORMS), which places an answer in a band based on the quality of its reasoning. Students who write more points without a clear judgement stay in the lower bands, however much they have memorised.
“My elective geography was a borderline A1, but my Social Studies was on the border of failing. Thus, my Social Studies pulled down my elective humanities.”
Phua Qi Sheng, SJI, who went on to score A1 for Combined Humanities
What the O Level Social Studies Paper Tests
The Social Studies paper runs for 1 hour 45 minutes and carries 50 marks
| Section | What it is | Marks | What it tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Source-based case study: Questions 1 to 4, then Question 5 | 35 (25 + 10) | Understanding and source analysis |
| B | Two structured-response questions: Question 6 and Question 7 | 15 (7 + 8) | Understanding and evaluation, with a reasoned judgement |
Source: SEAB 2026 syllabus 2260.
The three Issues
Issue 01
Exploring Citizenship and Governance
Issue 02
Living in a Diverse Society
Issue 03
Being Part of a Globalised World
A rule most students do not know
The syllabus states that the Section B questions will not be set on the same Issue as the Section A case study. Once a student identifies the case study’s Issue, they have narrowed down Section B. It also means gambling on one Issue guarantees that half the paper catches you out.
How Our Social Studies Tuition Works
01
Source skills first
Section A is 70 per cent of the paper, so it gets most of the lesson time. Students practise the question types that recur every year: inference, comparison, reliability and usefulness, and the 10-mark Question 5 that asks them to use several sources to reach a judgement.
02
Issues taught as trade-offs, not facts
For each Issue, students build a bank of trade-offs: what a policy gains, what it costs, and who bears the cost. That is the raw material for the judgement Section B demands.
03
Marked against the level descriptors
Answers are marked the way the examiner marks them, by band. Students learn what separates their current band from the next one up, rather than just collecting a score.
04
Timed to the real paper
Students practise with a fixed split: about 60 minutes for Section A, 35 minutes for Section B and 10 minutes for reading and checking. Most students who lose marks in Section B simply ran out of time.
Who Our Social Studies Tuition Is For
- Sec 3 and Sec 4 Combined Humanities students taking Geography as the elective
- Students whose elective grade is strong but whose Social Studies grade is not
- Students who know the content but lose marks on source-based questions
- Students who run out of time before Section B
- Students who want 1-to-1 help with Social Studies ahead of Prelims or the O Levels
Your Social Studies Tutor
Mr Eric Goh
Mr Goh taught both Geography and Social Studies at Fairfield Methodist Secondary School, to Express and Normal stream students, before teaching at Jurong Junior College, Hwa Chong and Raffles Institution. He founded GeogCafe and personally teaches every Geography class
Social Studies Results
Nearly every year, around 80 per cent of GeogCafe’s O Level and A Level students score a distinction in Geography and Social Studies
“The subject that I dreaded the most, the subject that I despised the most, had become the subject that I enjoyed the most. His guidance was an eye opener for me and allowed me to thoroughly grasp the concept of Source Based Questions.”
Phua Qi Sheng, SJI, Combined Humanities: A1
2026 Social Studies Class Schedule
| Class | Centre | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sec 4 Elective Geography & Social Studies | Novena | Fri | 6pm to 8pm |
| Sec 4 Elective Geography & Social Studies | Novena | Sun | 9am to 11am |
| Sec 4 Elective Geography & Social Studies | Kembangan | Sat | 2pm to 4pm |
Social Studies Tuition: Common Questions
Every student taking Combined Humanities sits Social Studies as Paper 1, whichever elective they take. The elective, Geography, History or Literature, is Paper 2.
Both sections are marked with a Levels of Response Marking Scheme. The examiner places each answer in a band based on the quality of its reasoning, so a well-supported judgement scores higher than a long list of points.
No. SEAB's syllabus states that the Section B questions will not be set on the same Issue as the Section A case study.
Group classes start from $250 a month
Lift the Social Studies half of your Combined Humanities grade
Send us your school, your elective, and your latest Social Studies grade.
Geography and Social Studies tuition for Secondary, JC, IP, IB and IGCSE students, taught by Mr Eric Goh.
Quick Links
Classes
Contact Info
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geogericgoh@gmail.com
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+65 9025-6500
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Main Centre: 36 Newton Road, #03-17 Hotel Royal, Singapore 307964 (Novena MRT). 2nd Centre: Walking distance from Kembangan MRT Station
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